[Editorial] COVID-19: remaking the social contract
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-05-02
"Allegiance, after all, has to work two ways; and one can grow weary of an allegiance which is not reciprocal." The British playwright David Hare quoted this line by the American writer James Baldwin in his recent reflections on the UK Government's response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Baldwin's reminder and warning in the context of civil rights in the mid-20th century USA speak now in the pandemic to communities the world over who are unsure of their governments' allegiances to them.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30983-1/fulltext?rss=yes

May Day Protests at SF City Hall. Anti Shutdowners Also Demonstrate
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-05-02
Labor and human rights groups demand rent and mortgage strike. Others want country "reopened".
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/01/18832751.php

PA prisoners tortured for protesting racist policies
Ted Kelly | workers.org | 2020-05-02
Eric McGill was locked up in Lebanon County Correctional Facility in Lebanon, Pa., on Jan. 19, 2019. For 15 months now he has been held there, not because he has been convicted of a crime, but because he cannot afford the preposterous $1 million bail the judge set. And during . . . | Continue reading PA prisoners tortured for protesting racist policies at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48116/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pa-prisoners-tortured-for-protesting-racist-policies

Trump, Pence, G W Bush, Hannity and Sen. Rick Scott's best sheriff fried under DOJ investi
scott huminski | indybay.org | 2020-05-02
The Justice Department and Florida Department of Health are investigating Sheriff Carmine Marceno for civil rights abuses, human rights abuses, ADA violations and felony abuse of a disabled adult.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/01/18832772.php

Shamkhani reacts to German ban against Lebanon's Hezbollah
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-02
TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA)

Sacramento: May Day Car Caravan for Immigrant & Worker Rights
Graton Day Labor Center and others | indybay.org | 2020-05-02
Car Caravan: Southside Park, Sacramento…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/30/18832711.php

Postal Bankruptcy Would Hit Rural America Hardest
Sarah Anderson | zcomm.org | 2020-05-02
The 15 most rural states would face heavy blows to jobs, revenue, mail and package deliveries, and voting rights…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/postal-bankruptcy-would-hit-rural-america-hardest/

Russian diplomat calls on US to talk about its commitments under resolution 2231
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-02
TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA)

US imposes new sanctions on Iran regardless of COVID-19 situation
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-02
TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA)

To impose further sanctions on Iran, the US rewrites history and engages in semantic gymnastics
Scott Ritter | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-02
On May 8, 2018, President Trump withdrew from the Iran Nuclear deal. In an effort to enact crippling "snap-back" sanctions, his administration is now pretending it did no such thing. | "All our words", the American-Lebanese poet-philosopher Kahlil Gibran observed, "are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind." If words are judged by their intellectual weight and adherence to integrity, the statements issued by the Trump administration in relation to its standing as a "participating nation" in the context of the agreement (known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA,) is more famine than…

To impose further sanctions on Iran, the US rewrites history and engages in semantic gymnastics

British PMs call for sanctions if Netanyahu carries out threat to annex parts of West Bank
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-02
TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA)

Germany: Working Class Protests Against Unemployment in May Day
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-01
On International Workers' Day, Germany's trade unions protested over the collapse of labor rights and the significant increase of unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Germany Bans All Hezbollah Activities | According to forecasts by Angela Merkel's administration, Germany will experience the worst recession since World War II this year. | Recent unemployment figures have soared despite the economic aid that Germany's authorities have set up to prevent mass layoffs. | In Apr…
telesurenglish.net/news/germany-working-class-protests-against-unemployment-in-may-day-20200501-0002.html

Podcast: Netanyahu's Fake Documents Pushed the US Towards War
Kyle Anzalone | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-01
On FPF #486, I discuss how Israel apparently used fake documents to push Trump towards war with Iran in April 2018. | Gareth Porter has a great article out that explains how it is clear the documents were forgeries. | Netanyahu released the documents in April of 2018 before Trump withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal and imposed a 'maximum pressure' sanctions campaign against Iran. | The economic war – and other provocative actions by Trump – has moved the US un…
anti-empire.com/netanyahus-fake-documents-pushed-the-us-towards-war/

Podcast: Dan Kovalik on How Sanctions and Humanitarian Interventions are Used to Plunder Nations
Mnar Muhawesh | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-01
Dan Kovalik discusses the history of Washington's policy of sanctions and humanitarian intervention, a policy that provides the framework for the mass pillaging of foreign nations on behalf of the U.S. establishment.
mintpressnews.com/podcast-dan-kovalik-us-sanctions-humanitarian-intervention/267162/

Dispute Resolution Mechanism of JCPOA is open "only" to current JCPOA parties: Finaud
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-01
TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA)

Podcast: Dan Kovalik on How Sanctions and Humanitarian Interventions are Used to Plunder Nations
Mnar Muhawesh | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-01
Dan Kovalik discusses the history of Washington's policy of sanctions and humanitarian intervention, a policy that provides the framework for the mass pillaging of foreign nations on behalf of the U.S. establishment. | Welcome to MintCast, the official MintPress News podcast hosted by Mnar Muhawesh. MintCast is an interview podcast featuring dissenting voices, independent researchers and journalists the establishment would rather silence. | In this episode, we are joined by human right…

Podcast: Dan Kovalik on How Sanctions and Humanitarian Interventions are Used to Plunder Nations

Prisoners Affairs Committee: Majority of Palestinian Prisoners Belong to the Labor Sector
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-04-30
Head of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Committee, Qadri Abu Baker, said on Thursday, on the eve of International Workers Day, that majority of Palestinian prisoners, inside Israeli jails and detention centers, belong to the labor sector and that their lives have been spent in jail. In his remarks, Abu …
imemc.org/article/prisoners-affairs-committee-majority-of-palestinian-prisoners-belong-to-the-labor-sector/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prisoners-affairs-committee-majority-of-palestinian-prisoners-belong-to-the-labor-sector

Greta Thunberg launches campaign to support UNICEF protection efforts against COVID-19
news.un.org | 2020-04-30
Climate activist Greta Thunberg along with Danish NGO Human Act, on Thursday launched a child rights-driven campaign to support the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in protecting young lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062942

Democrats fume as armed protesters descend on Michigan Capitol to protest lockdown
rt.com | 2020-04-30
Crowds of protesters, some carrying weapons, descended on the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan, as legislators considered extending Covid-19 lockdown measures. Democrats blamed President Donald Trump. | Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a stay-at-home order late last month, as the coronavirus epidemic took hold in her state. When the governor

Lift Cuba embargo or risk many lives lost to COVID-19, UN rights experts warn US
news.un.org | 2020-04-30
The United States must urgently lift its blockade on Cuba to save lives amid the expanding COVID-19 crisis, UN human rights experts stressed on Thursday, emphasizing that the more than six-decades-old sanctions are impeding the supply of medicine, medical equipment, food and other goods essential to surviving the pandemic.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062982

Coronavirus and human rights: New guidance highlights support for persons with disabilities
news.un.org | 2020-04-30
New guidance issued on Thursday sets out key actions, to counter what the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called the "double risk" faced by persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 pandemic.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062912

In ICE Detention, Forced to Pay for Soap
Jack Herrera | thenation.com | 2020-04-30
In ICE Detention, Forced to Pay for Soap…
thenation.com/article/politics/coronavirus-ice-detention-soap/

How the ACLU is Responding to the Pandemic, Visualized
aclu.org | 2020-04-30
The COVID-19 pandemic has closed down many businesses, but the ACLU's work of defending and expanding civil liberties and civil rights continues, essential as ever. At the ACLU, our most immediate focus has been on issues arising from the government's response

Cuba is Ready to Aid the U.S. in its Fight Against COVID-19
Pablo Vivanco | progressive.org | 2020-04-30
Despite Trump's sanctions, Cuba advocates international solidarity as the only way to overcome this pandemic.
progressive.org/dispatches/cuba-ready-aid-us-in-fight-against-covid-vivanco-200430/

Germany Bans All Hezbollah Activities
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-30
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced on Thursday that the country has banned Lebanon's Hezbollah movement from operating in the country, calling it a terrorist organization. | RELATED: | US Sanctions Hezbollah-Linked Lebanese Companies | In the early hours of Thursday morning, German police searched premises and private residences linked to Hezbollah in the country to prevent relevant evidence being destroyed, according to Germany's interior ministry. | "Police measures are unde…
telesurenglish.net/news/Germany-Bans-All-Hezbollah-Activities–20200430-0008.html

Arab League Defines West Bank Annexation as "War Crime"
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-30
Israel's plan to annex the West Bank is a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law, Arab League foreign ministers said Thursday. | RELATED: | Israeli Forces Detain Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem | The Arab League's statement followed a video conference between ministers of the organization on Thursday. | The decisions of the Palestinian State will be supported by the League, through its political, legal and financial resources. | The Israeli plan is simply a crime o…
telesurenglish.net/news/arab-league-defines-west-bank-annexation-as-war-crime-20200430-0010.html

Israeli Troops Detain Eleven Palestinians, Shoot One, Assault Three
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-30
Israeli forces, on Wednesday, attacked Palestinian young men in the old city of occupied East Jerusalem, Quds News Network reported. According to local sources, Israeli soldiers assaulted 3 Palestinian youths from the Salaymeh family in the old city, arresting them afterward. Soldiers shot a Palestinian young man, on Wednesday, identified …
imemc.org/article/israeli-troops-detain-eleven-palestinians-shoot-one-assault-three/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-troops-detain-eleven-palestinians-shoot-one-assault-three

Tehran Denies US Envoy's Claims About Iran Helping Venezuela in Exchange for Gold
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-02
The US special envoy for Venezuela earlier claimed that Iran has been helping Venezuela to restore its oil refineries, crippled by American sanctions, in exchange for gold. The official, however, presented no evidence to support his claims.
sputniknews.com/world/202005021079171493-tehran-denies-us-envoys-claims-about-iran-helping-venezuela-in-exchange-for-gold/

May Day 2020: Build a better future for people in times of multiple crises
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-01
Asia & the Pacific International solidarityIssue 1263 Asia-Pacific COVID-19. May Day workers rightsMay 1, 2020Joint Statement for May Day 2020: | Build a better future for w…
greenleft.org.au/content/may-day-2020-build-better-future-people-times-multiple-crises

Pompeo Demands Countries Block Airspace To Iran's 'Terrorist Airline' After Venezuela Deliveries
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-05-01
The US is going on the offensive once again against Venezuela, this time attempting to break up growing Iranian cooperation and assistance to Caracas. The two so-called 'rogue states' recently targeted for US-imposed regime change are helping each other fight coronavirus as well as Washington-led sanctions. Specifically, Tehran has ramped up cargo deliveries related getting Venezuela's …
iranian.com/2020/04/30/pompeo-demands-countries-block-airspace-to-irans-terrorist-airline-after-venezuela-deliveries/

BRICS Members Ask for Removal of US Sanctions on Iran
Fars News | iranian.com | 2020-04-30
Members of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) stressed the need for Washington to lift sanctions that have impeded the targeted countries' efforts to fight against the coronavirus epidemic, including Iran. "Such restrictive measures violate international law, interfere with the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and cause significant damage to the …
iranian.com/2020/04/30/brics-members-ask-for-removal-of-us-sanctions-on-iran/

Four Myths About Trans Athletes, Debunked
Chase Strangio | aclu.org | 2020-04-30
For years state lawmakers have pushed legislation attempting to shut trans people out of public spaces. In 2020, lawmakers zeroed in on sports and introduced 20 bills seeking to ban trans people from participating in athletics. These statewide efforts have been supported through a coordinated campaign led by anti-LGBTQ groups that have long worked to attack our communities. , , Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most state legislatures, Idaho became the first state to pass a sweeping ban on trans people's participation in a…
aclu.org/news/lgbt-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

Chomsky: COVID-19 strikes, solidarity can help defeat Trump and the neoliberal assault
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-29
Noam Chomsky on COVID-19 workers' strikes; Trump's attacks on China and the WHO; "lesser evil" voting; bipartisan war-mongering/sanctions; & what…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/29/chomsky-covid-19-strikes-solidarity-can-help-defeat-trump-and-the-neoliberal-assault/

Federal Bill Would Release Vulnerable People from Prisons to Help Stop Spread of COVID-19
Kanya Bennett | aclu.org | 2020-04-29
A month ago, Congress gave the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) increased authority to reduce the federal prison population. On March 29th, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ( CARES Act), providing DOJ and BOP with the ability to expand home confinement eligibility. Then, Attorney General William Barr "applaud[ed] the substantial steps ta…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/federal-bill-would-release-vulnerable-people-from-prisons-to-help-stop-spread-of-covid-19

Bezalel Smotrich: Israel's New Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Takes Aim at the Holy Sanctuary
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-29
Israel's right-wing poster boy has been slated for the role of Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, giving him both the position and power to carry out his apocalyptic vision of building a Jewish Temple on the site of the Dome of the Rock.
mintpressnews.com/bezalel-smotrich-apocalyptic-vision-israel-new-minister-jerusalem-affairs/267104/

Sudan: Coronavirus could be tipping point for 'untold suffering', Bachelet urges sanctions relief
news.un.org | 2020-04-28
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government and people of Sudan could experience "untold suffering" unless donors act fast to shore up a country still in transition, the top UN human rights official warned on Tuesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062782

Headlines for April 27, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-27
Global Coronavirus Deaths Top 207,000 as Hard-Hit European Nations Start Relaxing Lockdowns, States Prepare to Reopen Economies as Cases Continue to Mount, Doctors See Rise in Strokes Caused by Coronavirus; CDC Expands List of Possible Symptoms, Oakland Police Tackle and Detain Unhoused Outreach Workers, Poison Control Center Calls Spike After President Trump Suggests Injections of Disinfectant, WHO Warns Against Issuing "Immunity Passports", Activists Hold "Cancel the Rent" Protests Around the Country, Coronavirus Outbreak Reported at Tyson Foods Meat Processing Plant, "Larry King Live" Tape from 1993 Supports T…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/27/headlines

"Unconscionable": Planned Parenthood Pres. Condemns States Using Pandemic to Limit Abortion Access
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-27
As much of the U.S. remains on lockdown, abortion rights are under attack nationwide. We get an update on the fight for abortion access with Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Our bodies have literally been deemed essential," she says, "and yet the control of our bodies and the right to control our own bodies has not."
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/27/coronavir…

"We Don't Have the Capacity to Treat": Palestinian-Canadian Doctor Says Israel Must Lift Gaza Siege
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-24
As fears continue to grow about what a rampant outbreak of the coronavirus might do to the occupied Palestinian territory, already crippled by years of Israeli sanctions, we get an update from Dr. Tarek Loubani, Palestinian-Canadian doctor and emergency physician who volunteers in the Gaza Strip and returned from a trip there last month. "Testing is severely limited," he says. "There have been fewer tests in Gaza so far throughout the entire pandemic than there were in South Korea yesterday."
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/24/tarek_lou…

Florida voting rights trial to be argued online
splcenter.org | 2020-04-24
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/25/florida-voting-rights-trial-be-argued-online

Stir Crazy! Episode #21: Don't Bleach Me Bro!
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-04-24
On today's show: TRNN Managing Editor Marc Steiner, TRNN Executive Political Editor Don Rojas, and special guest Sahar Aziz, director of the Center for Security, Race and Rights. Hosted by Kim Brown.
therealnews.com/stories/stir-crazy-episode-21-dont-bleach-me-bro

Human Rights Watch cabildea por sanciones letales contra Nicaragua y Venezuela, mientras arrecia la crisis de Covid-19
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-20
Human Rights Watch está orgullosamente asumiendo el crédito por sanciones devastadoras contra Nicaragua, mientras busca escalar la guerra económica en…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/20/human-rights-watch-sanciones-nicaragua-venezuela/

Solidarity needed; non-citizen 'essential workers' under increased attack
Ana Santoyo | liberationnews.org | 2020-04-17
Immigrant detainees fight back against unsafe conditions in ICE centers.
liberationnews.org/solidarity-needed-non-citizen-essential-workers-under-increased-attack/

Venezuelan Crude Production Falls amid Coronavirus Crisis
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-04-16
The Caribbean country has seen worsening gasoline shortages as the US ramps up secondary sanctions.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14847

Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work
splcenter.org | 2020-04-13
Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/14/congressman-john-lewis-shares-message-support-splcs-work

Venezuela Extends COVID-19 Quarantine as Pope Criticizes Sanctions
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-04-13
This is the first time the Pontiff has spoken out against the measures.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14842

Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2020-04-10
Media…
fair.org/home/mike-elk-on-frontline-worker-rights-joe-emersberger-on-pandemic-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mike-elk-on-frontline-worker-rights-joe-emersberger-on-pandemic-sanctions

Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic
splcenter.org | 2020-04-10
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis Carr was able to knock on doors in Montgomery, Alabama, register people to vote, instruct them on voting rights and encourage them to cast their ballots on Election Day.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/11/get-out-vote-effort-goes-digital-covid-19-pandemic

Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws: A Humanitarian Message
Kathy Kelly | zcomm.org | 2020-04-04
One way to help others survive is to insist that the United States lift sanctions against Iran and instead support acts of practical care…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/stop-tightening-the-thumb-screws-a-humanitarian-message/